Basavaraj Bommai
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
“The BJP is not discussing the issue of the former Minister G. Janardhan Reddy’s return to the party as of now,” Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in Hubballi on Friday.
He was responding to a query on speculation that the BJP will induct the former Minister before the coming Assembly polls.
“I do not think the party has discussed the issue of the return of Mr. Janardhan Reddy to the BJP. I think he has not made any statement about this either. However, he has a long-standing relationship with the BJP and he has been very active in the State for many years,” he said.
‘Congress will lose badly’
Reacting to KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar’s statement that the BJP will get not more than 65 seats in the State, he said that it is the Congress that will fare badly in the elections and not the BJP.
“The Congress will be defeated decisively in the coming Assembly polls. It will lose so badly that it will not win more than 65 seats. It is possible that Mr. Shivakumar is talking about the electoral prospects of his own party,” he said.
On the other hand, the BJP’s prospects are great. “We are strong at the grassroots and our strength is growing,” he said. “We have the support of voters and workers at the booth level and it is our biggest asset,” he added.
“The BJP will return to power with a higher majority. People of the State are impressed with the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre and the pro-people governance of B.S. Yediyurappa and our government,” he said.
The BJP has begun its campaign in earnest and it is already in the third phase of the campaign, he said. “We have successfully carried out Vijay Sankalp Yatre rallies at the booth level and block levels now. The present phase will focus on rallies at the district and State levels. At the same time, conferences of all wings or the party, including Morchas and Prakosthas, are being organised in all the 224 Assembly constituencies,” he said.
“All our rallies, conferences and meetings have received tremendous response,” he added.
